


Undercover Temptation

by unashamedshipper



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Attempted Seduction, F/M, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2016-04-12
Packaged: 2018-06-01 23:27:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6541093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unashamedshipper/pseuds/unashamedshipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Being a bodyguard to someone is hard, especially when that someone is an extremely hot heir to the Magnolian throne.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Red lipstick? Check. Lucy Heartfilia finished applying the rogue shade to her lips, placing the tube back in her red envelope clutch. Red heels? Check. She thought, jumping up and down in them. She smirked down at her chest, knowing that this was the sealing note. Push up bra and v-neck dress? Check.

It was time to seduce an heir.

Lucy swayed down the hallway from the bathroom to get to the party that Zeref Dragneel, the king of Magnolia, and his brother Natsu were throwing for Zeref's engagement. Fortunately for them, Zeref and Mavis were having a little party of their own up in their quarters that would be uninterrupted, so Lucy had a shot at finally killing the man that had killed her father in cold blood a few years back. Revenge would taste so sweet to the daughter of the Heartfilia clan. When she finally sliced his neck open and heard Zeref speak his last, her clan would finally be at peace with the Dragneels.

But first, she had a job to do.

Lucy gracefully accepted a champagne flute from a passing waiter, taking a swig and holding it in her hand. She opened her compact in her bag so she could check her lipstick—and what was behind her. Her eyes narrowed evilly as she saw a flash of pink hair behind her. Perfect. Her lip curled in satisfaction as she saw her companion, Levy McGarden, give her the signal. A tug of the ear was all it took for Lucy to spring into action.

She took her glass and walked past the heir, and spilt her glass of champagne all over his coat. He looked up at her in shock and anger, ready to tell her off. When he looked into her chocolate orbs, all he could see was innocence and a bit of seduction. His face softened, and he handed her a cloth napkin from a passing waiter so she could sop up the fluid on his chest.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't know that you were behind me. Silly me, right?" She said, pressing the cloth firmly into his chest and putting her other hand on his arm.

"R-right," he said, watching her hand trace over his arm. Just as she thought, he had a weakness for blondes. She smiled kindly, pressing the cloth harder into his chest.

"Well, it was an innocent mistake. I apologize, sir." She said, eyes softening. She could see that he was just a bit thankful that she had spilt the glass on him. Anyone would have been. It's not every day that a buxom blonde just happens to spill something on you, is it? Natsu straightened up, remembering his manners.

"No need to apologize, love. Anyone could have made that mistake. And most beautiful women are a bit clumsy," he said, grinning the grin that all the women in the country had fawned over. Well, except for Lucy. Many women had a thing for him, but Lucy certainly did not. She liked more assertive men that could tell her what they wanted. And he was definitely not that. She dipped her head low, peering at him through thick eyelashes. Natsu swallowed sharply. His pupils were dilated, his feet were towards her, and he was flexing his muscles just a bit more than he did when he was introduced to the other women in the country. She knew that he was completely at her will.

One of her companions disguised as a waitress presented a glass of wine on a platter to Natsu, and he gracefully accepted it. Juvia winked at Lucy as she passed and promptly put down the tray to fawn over Gray Fullbuster, one of the dukes. Lucy turned her attention to the heir. He was taking a drink of the wine, and she began the countdown mentally to when he would be knocked out. She had him right where she wanted him.

"Of course, sir. Thank you for the compliment. Let me introduce you to my friend who will take you to the washroom to get you cleaned up. " Levy appeared, dressed in a red backless dress with a halter neck. Lucy introduced the two and let her friend lead Natsu to his demise. She smirked. Everything was going according to plan.

***

Natsu opened his eyes groggily, thinking it was morning. He went to do his usual yawn and stretch, but his arms weren't moving. He looked down, and a petite blue haired girl was tying him to a chair. He glared up at her when she stood up, admiring her handiwork.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, little girl?" He growled at her, teeth bared.

"Oh, believe me, I am doing you a favor. I put some loose pants on you. You're going to need that too," she winked, bouncing out the door.

He kept silent in shock and heard that bastard Gajeel's voice outside the door, talking to the petite blue haired girl. The door had the tiniest crack between the floor, so he tried to yell for Gajeel.

"Hey, Iron Brains! Get your ass over here right now!" he moved his hands, trying to get his arms free but ended up falling over instead. "Listen to me you idiot, you gotta get me out of here! I think someone's trying to kill me!" he yelled through the crack. All he heard was a very faint moan and a giggle, and then they were gone. 'Damn bastard,' he thought, 'he just wants to leave to get laid by that chick.'

Two heels click-clacked from the other room and landed right in front of his face. He looked up as far as his neck could see. All that was in his sight was a pair of red heels.

"You're finally awake, huh? Good. You know it's not polite to keep a lady waiting, Mister Dragneel." A radio turned on and played quiet jazz music.

The voice lit a match, and the silhouette of a curvaceous woman lit up, and she bent over to light a few candles. She then stood up, a hand on her hip, and swayed to the beat of the music over to his chair.

The woman with the beautiful voice tipped the chair upright so he could see what she looked like.

Holy. Shit.

His nose dripped a few drops of blood as he looked at her. Her blonde hair was in a long ponytail and her face looked angelic but the smirk she carried on her face only spelled devilish. Her neck was long and pretty, but her breasts were the best part. They were basically popping out of the corset she was wearing, and he loved that. God, how he just wanted to be untied. Her hips and legs were smooth and tan, and she wore fishnet stockings. Her feet were manicured and so were her hands. But the thing that caught his eyes the most was not her physique but her red lipstick. It was blood red, and he just wanted to kiss it off of her.

She smirked more when she noticed his eyes on her lips.

"Hey! I remember you! You were the one that spilled your drink on me!" He said, trying to get free by using sporadic movements. She tipped the chair back, looking into his eyes.

"Mm, you should look at me like that more. It makes me feel powerful," she mumbled.

She pursed her lips, knowing that he was staring at them.

"Honestly, Mister Dragneel, did you think I could resist you? You're so sexy with the suit on that I just had to get you here. And now," she said, lowering her cleavage to his face, "I have you right where I want you."

She dropped the back of the chair and Natsu landed with a yelp. She turned and sat on his lap, cradling his face in her hands. Lucy pushed his face into her cleavage, and Natsu felt the warm mounds on his face. He felt all of the blood in his body rush south.

"You get excited so easily, don't you? Well, that's alright, love. As long as it's with me…" She winked and brushed her fingers across his scalp. He moaned lightly, trying to make it undetectable.

She took his face out of her breasts and stared into his eyes once more, brushing her fingers across his jaw.

"Stop teasing me, kinky lady. If you're going to kiss me, just do it then!" He bit. He didn't know why he was so angry. Maybe it was just the fact that he was so aroused and couldn't do anything about it but just sit there… but that possibly added to the seduction.

"Okay," she giggled, and she kissed him. Her lips tasted like electricity and softness. She poked her tongue out a little bit so she could kiss him for real, and he felt himself getting more aroused than he ever had felt in his life. He moaned loudly, and she took advantage of that and bit his lip softly.

She growled, and his eyes rolled to the back of his head because it was too intense. She rubbed her fingers all over his scalp and down his ear. Her kisses were getting more intense, and she was grinding up against him so hard that he felt himself getting closer by the second. Lucy brushed her fingers down his neck and kissed him, using her own wanton moans to make him feel more pleasure.

Just right when he was about to explode, she hit a pressure point on his neck, pushing it as hard as she could. Both he and the chair clattered to the floor. Everything went completely black as he lost consciousness. The last thing he saw was red heels making the same sound going out of the room that they did coming in.


	2. Chapter 2

Natsu's awakening wasn't a happy one. He had scared himself awake and knocked his head against the floor. He had also realized that he was still tied to the chair that the small bluenette had tied him to, and there was no sign of the beautiful blonde that had seduced him earlier.

Small blood drips came out of his nose as he thought of what she had done to him. He hadn't been such a pervert before, but blondes in black had been his guilty pleasure for such a long time that it was hard to hold back when one started seducing him. He started to get aroused again and decided to go look for her. After all, he had a pretty high chance of getting laid tonight.

But first, he had to get himself out of this chair.

He heard footsteps coming closer and closer to his door, and he grinned. He would recognize those stomping feet anywhere. Gajeel put most of his weight on his heels when he walked, and it made him easier to find when they played hide and seek as kids. The bigger child was always the first to get found as they were playing, and he hated himself for that. However, Natsu didn't recognize the smaller set of soft footsteps behind the large man.

He heard whispers, Gajeel's signature sound of 'gihee' and a long kiss. Gajeel came in, flicking on the lights. When the two men laid eyes on each other, they burst into laughter.

"Dude! Yer tied to a chair with red lipstick marks on yer face! What the hell happened, Salamander?" Gajeel doubled over.

"What's up with you, Iron Brains? You've got red spots all over your neck and peach lipstick marks all over you! What, d'ya get laid or somethin'?" Natsu guffawed.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I did. Got a problem with that?" Gajeel grinned proudly at Natsu as if gloating. He was gloating, of course. Who wouldn't gloat if that happened?

"By that blue-haired girl? She was the one that tied me up to this chair! And I tried to yell for you because I thought I was gonna get murdered, but you just left me! You're such an asshole!"

"If you keep insulting me, I'm not gonna untie you," Gajeel threatened, cracking his knuckles.

"Alright, fine. The only good thing is that this blonde ended up putting her tits all over my face so I guess I'm not that mad at you…" Natsu said, blushing a bit.

"I don't wanna hear about your escapades, Salamander. That's fucking disgusting. " Gajeel looked at his friend with a mix of boredom and disgust.

"I don't wanna hear about yours either!" Natsu yelled, jerking his body left and right.

"Well, I bet your lay wasn't as good as mine…" Gajeel leaned against the doorframe, smirking and crossing his arms across his chest. He used the position when he was trying to look cooler than he was, which happened quite often.

"It was! Now untie me, idiot!" Natsu yelled at his friend, wondering if his head was just in the wrong place. Possibly in his dick.

"Wait, you didn't actually get laid, did you? Oh man, this is hilarious! I'm totally telling Fullbuster when I untie you!" Gajeel knelt down and started untying his friend with nimble fingers, and when Natsu was finally untied, he promptly punched Gajeel in the face.

"Don't you dare tell Fullbuster, you dick. If you mention any of this to anyone, I will rip your dick off. And then you and that girl of yours won't be able to have any fun like you did a few hours ago."

"I get it. Fine, I won't tell anyone," Gajeel said sadly, rubbing his cheek.

Natsu started out the door to find the blonde girl. Hopefully he could get that lay tonight that he had wanted ever since he saw her. And for some reason, he found himself liking more than what she looked like. She was extremely smart and had a razor like wit and he liked that about her. Sure, she could look really pretty but if she couldn't keep up with his IQ then she was outta there.

He searched in the kitchen, asking the cooks if they had seen a busty blonde girl. He put his hands in front of his chest as a measure of how big her boobs were, and the cook just smacked him on the head with her frying pan and told him that she hadn't seen her. She did, however, see a small blue haired girl talk to a blonde that looked somewhat like he was describing a few hours ago, but the cook hadn't seen the woman since. Natsu thanked the cook and grabbed a piece of cornbread on his way out, earning a yell and a scowl from her.

He searched for a while in the bedrooms (a guy can hope, right? Maybe she was just waiting for him), a few bathrooms, the armory, and the theater. She wasn't in any of those, so he decided to go report to Zeref what had happened. He needed to be quiet, though, because he and Mavis were having their own, ahem, special party in the king's quarters. Soon Mavis would be queen, and they would probably have children soon after. Natsu hated kids, and he knew that he would be stuck with the holding of the child. It wasn't that he hated babies or toddlers… he just hated how they smelled and how loud they were. And how they always liked him. What was up with all of these goddamned tiny humans always running up to him and cooing?

As he approached Zeref's room, he saw a shadow. A ponytailed, busty shadow. He grinned evilly. It was her. He tiptoed quickly but quietly towards the shadow and saw that it was her. But he realized quite quickly that she was dressed differently than she normally was, and that was all for the better.

She was dressed in all black with highlights of fuchsia. Her shirt was a deep V-neck that barely hid any of her cleavage, and her pants were loose and flowing but clung to her ankles so it would not restrict movement. She wore high heels that were bright fuchsia, and when she moved her arm to grab something out of her bag, he noticed that her sleeves were connected to her sides. The undersides were flush to her curves and in the same fuchsia as her heels. Her hair was in a tight ponytail as before but had small fuchsia flower clips in it. Her lips were painted the same berry hue. He pinched his nose and crept towards her.

"Hey! It's you! Nice to see ya again. You look nice!" he said in a nasal voice, grinning.

"What the hell?" Lucy whipped around at the sound of his voice. A ninja star was chucked into the wall right next to his ear. He was almost toast. 'Holy shit, this girl is lethal,' he thought, 'and that's exactly how I like em'.'

"How the ever-loving fuck did you find me? And also, what's with the blood everywhere?" Lucy pointed to the ground around Natsu's feet. When he faced her, her boobs bounced and he couldn't deal with it anymore. He let go of his nose and hit the floor with blood flying everywhere.

"Oh, God, you are an idiot. Just as I thought," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. When Natsu's nosebleed stopped, he stood up and smiled his signature grin. It looked like he had just eaten a huge load of shit.

He stuck his hand out for her to shake while declaring his name. "Natsu Dragneel, heir to the Magnolian throne, 25 years old, and completely single. I know you can't resist me." He winked at her, and in return she scowled.

"I'm not telling you my name, Mister Dragneel. You're an asshole and I can totally resist you without any help, thank you very much." She said, sticking her nose up in the air.

"Huh. You've got a mouth on you, girl. I like that." He grinned his shit-eating grin again.

"Ugh. Men. Honestly, what makes you think that I can't resist you because I'm a woman? I can resist you just fine, Prince Dragneel."

"Well, I'm handsome, I have lots of money, and I'm a good guy. Sounds like bedding material to me."

"Well, you're wrong. I like guys that have a heart and a personality and don't want girls to bed them even if they have seduced them in the past. So just leave me alone, asshat," she said, turning towards Zeref's open door again.

"What the hell do you want with Zeref, then? I mean, he just got engaged yesterday. And he's totally in love with the girl. There's no use seducing him. Why not settle for me instead?" Natsu said, sliding up next to her and leaning against the door.

"You just can't quit, can you?" She said, whisper screaming at him. "Your brother killed my father. So I'm here to kill him. I only seduced you to knock you out and, therefore, distract you while I kill your brother. Got it?" She bit out, teeth bared.

A girlish scream was heard from the door. "Zeref!" Natsu opened the door and held up his fists, ready to fight. Lucy held a ninja star in her hand. 'Where the hell did she keep all of those in her tight outfit?' Natsu wondered.

Lucy looked with narrowed eyes to find the king, and she found him being carried away by a much larger man. She took aim to fire it.

"Don't! You'll hit him!" a young-looking blonde girl hugged Lucy's waist to stop her. She guessed that this was his betrothed, Mavis Vermillion.

"If I don't stop that guy, he will be murdered within the hour," she told Mavis, and she took aim once more and fired the ninja star and hit the guy straight in the back. She then jumped into action and rushed at the man, hitting him with a number of attacks that would knock a man out in a matter of seconds.

The man seemed immune to these attacks and a battle came about. He threw Zeref to the floor, stomping on his stomach before leaving him alone. Zeref groaned softly and promptly passed out. Mavis yelled out her beloved's name and ran to his side. Natsu went with her, picking up his brother and heaving him to his feet. They hurried out of the way so Lucy could enjoy the battle.

Lucy pulled a nunchuck off her side and beat the man with a flurry of hand motions. When the man plucked them out of her hands and tossed them across the room with ease, she pulled out a katana and stabbed him in the stomach promptly. The man gasped in pain, and Lucy leaned in to tell him something. "Do not underestimate the Heartfilia clan, fucker," she whispered, pulling the katana out so the man could bleed to his death. She twirled the katana for a few seconds before sheathing it, grinning to herself.

The man dropped to the floor, defeated by the smaller but much more agile woman. Lucy pushed her fingers deep into his wound and rubbed the blood in the shape of a key on his head; the mark of the Heartfilia clan. Lucy was finally ready to see Zeref face to face, where she would finally meet the man that had killed her father. She could only wait for the sweet revenge that would happen within that moment.


	3. Chapter 3

When Zeref awoke, he was flanked by Mavis and held to the ground once again. His mind was foggy with what had occurred, and the growing headache pounding at the front of his mind wasn't helping his memory. His love turned to him and kissed him full on the mouth, crying out his name and fretting over the bump on his head. Her long blonde hair was in a plait behind her back, and her eyes were bright as she retrieved some ice for him from their freezer, and he thought that she had never looked more beautiful.

"Ahem," Natsu coughed, smirking at his brother. He saw the little scene, and the little scoundrel that he was, he decided to record it on his phone.

"Nevermind that, Natsu," Zeref waved his hand dismissively, "What of the woman that saved my life?"

"Lucy? She went home. I bet she was tired. I mean, I would be too if I seduced an heir and saved someone's life all in one day!" Natsu said, blood drops patting the floor as he thought of the seduction that happened earlier that day. Man, did he ever want a replay of that…

"She…she seduced you?" the king managed a smirk through his pounding migraine that was becoming more intense by the second. He held his head, groaning and gritting his teeth. He didn't know that facial expressions could hurt this bad…

"Yeah, it was awesome. And I really like her," Natsu started, wiping the blood from his nose with a handkerchief that he pulled from his pocket, "She's smart, and I like that. She's on par with me on sarcasm. And she's so beautiful that I wanna stare at her all day."

"That's great, Natsu, but I need to speak with her. Go into my office, and on the data base's computer there should be something on her name. I know she's a Heartfilia by the mark she left on that man's head. And I believe she is the only remaining heir," Zeref pointed to his office while rubbing his head with his other hand.

"Aye, sir!" Natsu bolted from the room to Zeref's office. There he looked up 'Heartfilia' and several names came up. Most of them were deceased except for one. A woman by the name of 'Lucy'. In her picture, she looked a bit younger but just as beautiful. Her smile was gorgeous, but Natsu could see it was a bit forced. With a click of a mouse he printed off her phone number and contact information. Natsu then retired to his own computer to look up more information on Lucy.

Natsu rubbed his hands together, excited that he would see the girl that he had been thinking about for hours now—and hopefully convince her to seduce him again. But for now, he would have to get some sleep. It was late, around eleven o'clock, and there was a corpse in his brother's room which was going to become painfully obvious because of the smell.

The Magnolian mortuary took care of the body within the hour, and it was disposed of, never to be heard of or seen by the public eye. If anyone was to know that the king got attacked and almost kidnapped, there would be a huge media coverage. They would be in the headlines for weeks, and the king and future queen would be on TV for a reasonable amount of time. And Zeref hated being on the television. It was possibly because the man got so anxious that he cried every time he had a camera pointed at him, or because Mavis didn't like cameras either. It was if someone couldn't see her behind the camera—she was beautiful but she blended into the background so well that she was hard to pick up.

Mavis and Zeref retired to their respective rooms, falling asleep within a few moments. Natsu, however, stayed up later than he said he would and recovered information on Lucy. She was fascinating… the woman had achieved top scores in her school and also at her father Jude's academy for ninjas. Sadly, her father had been murdered years ago, but the file did not say by whom. With that, he retired to his bed and fell asleep as well, promising to himself that he would call Lucy in the morning.

***

Lucy's dream was a pleasant one, which wasn't the usual for her. She was a child again, and most of her kinder memories were from childhood. Her mother was reading a book to her, and they were sitting in the rocking chair that Lucy once loved.

"Come pick flowers with me, sweetheart," her mother stretched out her hand for Lucy to hold. They were transported to plains of gold, and Lucy smiled for the first time in years. It felt foreign, almost painful to stretch her muscles into that expression, but it also felt like coming home.

Lucy reached out her hand to grasp her mother's, to finally feel the hands that held her and fed her daily when she was a child. Lucy touched her palm to her mother's, and she finally felt at home for the first time in ten years.

A melody wrapped around them, the beat heavy, hitting Lucy in the chest. It was hauntingly familiar. As Lucy stood there in her mother's arms once more, she couldn't help but get the feeling that this song didn't belong.

"Lucy, I love you, and it has been wonderful to see you again, but you need to wake up," her mother whispered into her ear.

What? Why would she want to wake up from this? She was with her mother, why would she want to leave?

"But why, Momma? I don't want to leave you!" Lucy replied and she felt the tears gather in her eyes.

The melody picked up. Whispers of a Reaper coming for her floating along in the air around them, echoes of denying the Reaper, 'not today' it repeated.

"Lucy, you need to wake up. Wake up, please." Her mother urged her, her voice becoming stronger.

The song became louder, roaring over her mother's voice. Lucy struggled to hear Layla's faint voice over the blaring music.

"Wake up," was the last thing Lucy heard from her mother. Layla smiled for the last time, and Lucy's eyes snapped open.

She was in her room and covered in a cold sweat from the dream. Her phone was blaring her ringtone, and someone was calling her. She looked at the time before answering it.

"Who the hell is this? And why are you calling me at five o'clock in the fucking morning?"

"Such language so early, Lucy? Why such discontent for me? After all, I am your lover," the voice said over the phone.

It took her a moment to recognize it, but when she did, she had many questions for the man. She rubbed the throbbing vein in her temple.

"What is it, Natsu? I was having a good time sleeping, you know," Lucy told him, her words tinged with anger. Why the hell did that idiot think it was a good idea to call her so freakin' early when she was having a great dream?

"Dreaming about me? Well, you'll be able to see me today, so your dreams will come true," Natsu teased, amusement seeping into his words.

"I don't have any intention of seeing you today," she snapped. She liked her rest. A ninja never was able to do her duty if she didn't get enough sleep, and Lucy liked lots of it. She liked to take her time in the morning. And if that meant more sleep, so be it. But this was not going to be a morning for that.

"Well, my brother does, princess, and he demanded me to make you come to the palace today at noon for lunch. He wants to meet the woman that saved his life," Natsu told her, smirking. She wouldn't be able to resist coming over now.

She sighed, and then begrudgingly told him that she would be there. She would show up then, and shortly after make her exit and try to kill Zeref again. It would be a bit harder for her to do so after she just saved his life, but the grief would have to do. After they hung up, Lucy fell back asleep for a few more hours.

She woke up just before nine, and she headed to the shower immediately. The blonde woman made sure that her hair and body were extra clean—she didn't want to make a bad impression on the king of her country. After showering, she put on a sleeveless blue casual dress with ruffles at the bottom and a pair of black heels. She then clipped her hair up in a messy bun with a few tendrils framing her face. She put on a little makeup to top it all off. Usually she only wore the basics, but today she outdid herself and was proud of the result.

She grabbed her purse, a pink cross body bag with a heart for the clasp, and made her way to the palace. She started up her car and started driving, letting her mind drift to memories she hadn't thought of for a long time. Before the ball incident, she would always shake away her thoughts, but today she decided to let them free.

 

Jude Heartfilia had always been somewhat of a private man, and he had retreated into himself when her mother had died of cancer. When she ever got to talk to him, he only grunted replies and muttered a few words to her before going into his room and eating his dinner there.

Jude would come in Lucy's room every once in a while and ask how school and training was going, but once that very short conversation was over, he closed the door and would shut her out of his life for the thousandth time. It was like he couldn't be bothered to spend time with his only daughter, which Lucy despised. She hated the feeling of being left out of things. And so, she and her father were driven farther and farther apart. The feelings for her father were cold, and she would do anything to stay away from the man that had never uttered even two sentences to her since her mother passed.

Even though she trained at her father's academy, her father was in charge of it and would only address the students as one and the same. When he did his yearly speech about how he and the academy expected excellence, his eyes would flicker over her sitting figure, but then continue scanning the rest of the students with a bored look. The man seemed perpetually uninterested in anything that was presented to him. Even if she came home with perfect marks from both her school and the academy, he would say something about how that was fantastic and that he had to get back to work.

Lucy's feelings had been frigid to the man until one very chilly autumn night.

"Lucy?" her father had called to her over dinner.

Time seemed to slow. Even movements seemed like they were a bit lapsed, and Lucy reached for her glass of sparkling cider and took a sip. She was surprised to say the least. He was actually talking to her? Why was he even trying to make contact with her when he ignored her for years? She muffled a scowl and then managed to answer him.

"Come with me after dinner and we will talk about your mother," he told her, wiping his mouth with a napkin, and Lucy just about swallowed her bite of chicken whole.

He wanted to talk about her mother? What the hell spurred this on? Lucy was confused but pleased. Layla had died when Lucy was young, and she had been in the dark about the woman for many years. Jude was not one to talk about his wife, and Lucy didn't want to dig for answers.

When the man and his daughter were finished with their dinner, Jude led the way up to what used to be her mother's writing room. Lucy hesitantly followed her father, confused thoughts swirling in her head. Why did he need to bring her here? And why now?

Jude sat down in Layla's writing chair, and within a few minutes he was sobbing. Lucy didn't know whether to comfort her father or just stand there. She did feel a pang of guilt for him, but then again, he had ignored her for years.

"Layla—she was not only beautiful, but she was smart. She was smart, and she was an amazing mother. A year before she died, she wrote these letters to you," he cried, handing a stack of missives, which were tied together with a red ribbon in a beautiful bow.

"She said that the time would come when you would need her words. And I think that time is now. You are about to graduate from the academy, and you are also due to be valedictorian in both school and the academy. I… I am so proud of you," Jude stood up and took his daughter in his arms, holding her tightly.

Lucy's arms were stiff, and she was conflicted. Should she hug him back? Should she push him away?

'Well, there's nothing wrong with giving my father a hug,' she thought, and she put her arms limply around her father. Finally, she knew what a hug felt like from one of her parents. Sure, she had gotten hugs from the people that worked at her home when she cried, but a hug from her father was something different.

It felt like home.

The feelings of love from her father overwhelmed her, and tears filled up in her eyes. Tears fell onto her father's jacket, and she embraced him tightly. They held each other, crying over their lost mother and wife, and she finally felt connected to her father for once in her life. The feelings of the moment swirled around her.

And then, in an instant, it was all taken away. She heard a sharp noise and turned her head to look up at her father. A ninja star was embedded in his head, and one in his back. Blood was dripping all over the floor, and the thick fluid was making its way down his arm and around her hand. A shrill scream made its way up her throat and out, and she dropped her father's body to the floor. She fell to her knees, still screaming. She rocked herself back and forth, trying to calm herself down. Tears fell harder now, pitter-pattering on the floor as she mourned her father's death.

"No! This is not fucking okay! Goddammit!" she screamed, pounding her fists on the floor. How did something that she had just learned to cherish get ripped away?

A maid ran into the room, crying Lucy's name. When the maid saw what had happened, she gasped and started yelling that the headmaster was dead. Everyone came in at once and started mourning in their own way. Some people fainted because of the blood loss, others held each other crying, some screamed and dropped to the floor.

And in that moment, everything felt surreal. A man that was barely tolerated in the palace for his chilly demeanor was mourned over like one of their own. Time slowed, but the moments ticked by like seconds as one of the cooks managed to call the police. Lucy got up and happened to see a familiar crest on the ninja star embedded in her father's leg. She inspected the crest and pulled the sharp blade out of his leg to see more. When she did, the blood poured out of his leg quickly and Lucy fainted, finally gaining rest from the last few moments of horror.

When she finally awoke, Lucy saw that the same ninja star was laying on her bedside table. It was clean, and there was no trace of blood left on it. She wondered how someone could tidy it up without crying, and it lead to her thinking of her father's death. For the third time in the day, she cried and felt weakness. Lucy had always hated crying; she thought of it as weakness rather than being strong for too long. But for once, she would let herself cry.

Once she had cried for a while, she sobered up and headed over to her computer to search of different ninja clan crests. There she found a clan by the name of Alvarez. But for the leader of the clan she would have to do more digging.

She stayed up until morning connecting the dots, and when the sun finally came up, she found the name of the leader.

"Zeref Dragneel," Lucy whispered aloud, and then she gasped, "That's the name of the heir in line for the throne!"

Lucy didn't know what to do. She couldn't just let everyone she knew know about this situation. She would be arrested and probably thrown in jail for spreading false information about the king. Lucy let go of the breath she had been holding since she found out Zeref's secret. And then, she made a decision.

On that day, she made a vow to herself. She would kill Zeref Dragneel, no matter what the cost. It didn't matter if she had herself killed. She had to find out why the man murdered her father and then kill him in cold blood. Her father deserved to be alive at this moment. He deserved to spend time with his daughter. But instead, he was ripped away from her just when they finally started getting along.

Lucy allowed herself another cry, letting her tears fall freely now. She would be harsh. Hard. And this was the last time she would cry until she finally killed Zeref. And that was going to have to do. She would not trust another being again until she found the man that killed her father and end his life.

Lucy wiped her tears. Over the next few weeks, Lucy became hardened towards everyone she met. Boys were no longer asking her on dates, and her friends were becoming more and more distant. She furthered herself from anyone that talked to her, and she kept everyone at an arm's length. This was the life of a woman who had been hurt her whole life, and she was willing to hurt others to get what she wanted.

When Lucy graduated and gave her valedictorian speech, the woman did not crack a smile the entire time, even when she cracked a joke.

When she was finished, she sauntered off the stage and never went back to her hometown. College was a breeze for her, and it passed by quickly. Classes were easy, and she was to graduate at the top of her class in a year. Everything was seeming to fall into place—at least, on the outside.

However, after classes, Lucy locked herself in her room and wouldn't let anyone know what was eating at her the most: depression. She could barely get up to shower, much less go to class. Everything was falling down on her, and even a bit of anxiety started to pang at her by her final year of college. Her hardened exterior had become perfected, and even though she had friends, none of them knew the horror story Lucy had witnessed that night her father was murdered.

And now, seven years after her father was killed, Lucy was finally to meet the man for lunch that had her father murdered. It was laughable, really, but Lucy's sense of humor hadn't been touched for years. Her laugh was humorless, and Lucy had no need to laugh.

As she turned onto the street where the palace was located, she hardened her exterior even more. She would have to be civil to this man, and to do that, her emotions would have to be locked up. It wasn't like locking up her feelings was hard—she had done it for years. But to do it in front of the man that committed such a horrendous crime just years prior was going to be tough. Thank the heavens that Lucy Heartfilia was the epitome of tough.

Lucy parked her car and locked it. She opened her compact that she had used the night before and applied a bit more lipstick before closing it and putting it away. She was thankful that looks could be deceiving because she would have to con the hell out of this man before she killed him. Lucy swayed up the steps and rang the doorbell. Yes, the huge palace had a doorbell. It was a bit amusing, and Lucy allowed herself a smile for the first time in a few months. The pulling of the muscles in her mouth felt strange to her, and when the butler opened the door, she faked enthusiasm.

"Hello! I was invited to lunch with the king today. I'm Lucy Heartfilia," she told the man, grinning. If the small smile she wore on her face felt strange, flashing an open-toothed smile felt absolutely foreign. It was almost painful baring her teeth to the world, and she was sure that her lip had split open just a bit when she smiled.

"Of course. Right this way, Miss Heartfilia," The butler motioned to the inside of the palace, and Lucy practically flounced past him to see the place.

The word 'huge' was an understatement. When she went to the ball the night before, she only saw the ballroom and the coat room. If she thought that was extravagant, she would have to check her definition of the word. Two rows of red carpeted stairs wound up in perfect symmetry across from each other to meet in the middle, and on the other side of the meeting space were two corridors that led to hallways. Lucy smirked. The room looked exactly like the second movie from the Princess Diaries. Not that she had watched the movie…

"Ah, Miss Heartfilia. Such a wonderful sight," said a deep voice from the top of the stairs. There stood Natsu Dragneel, the brat that she had unfortunately seduced. Why the hell was he so insistent on flirting with her? It wasn't like she actually had sex with him.

"Nice to see you again, idiot. Will you be doing us the displeasure of joining us for lunch?" She asked as he practically ran down the stairs so he could capture her hand in his.

"Of course I will. And it's not a displeasure. It's fantastic to see you again. I was enthralled when my brother asked me to call you for you to join us for lunch," Natsu kissed her hand. The second after his lips touched her hand, she yanked it away and held her wrist with her other hand. The nerve of that man!

"I'm sure you enjoyed hearing my grumpy voice at five in the morning when you woke me up from my nice dream," she spit, narrowing her eyes at him. Didn't the guy know when to take a hint? She was not interested.

"That's cool! I always liked hearing about dreams. What did you dream about?" Natsu asked, tilting his head to the side with obvious interest.

She was about to tell him to stuff it, but a voice cut her off.

"Miss Heartfilia, so glad you could make it," the voice said, and she whipped her head around, just about to tell the voice off as well.

And there he stood. Zeref Dragneel in the flesh.

Hatred rose up, and she almost pulled out the dagger out of her purse she had stowed earlier. She shut her mouth and gritted her teeth. Lucy wanted to stab the man and be done with it. But wait, Natsu was still here. A witness. And she couldn't let herself have any witnesses when Zeref was finally killed.

"You must be the king. It's so nice to meet you, Sir," she curtsied, lifting the hem of her skirt a little and dipping low. He bowed, and she allowed herself another smile.

'Perfect,' she thought, 'he bought it. Now I just have to convince him that I'm not a threat.' Thankfully, the man smiled softly back, and he started to tear up. Meeting the woman that saved his life had brought up something that he never thought it would—emotion. Zeref, although a crier, was a bit emotionless and only let himself cry when sad films were on or when Mavis said something cute. He cleared his throat and straightened himself to reply to the blonde.

"Yes, I am. It's very nice to meet the woman who saved my life last night. Come now, let us go for lunch," Zeref turned and started to walk into the room underneath where the two staircases connected.

Natsu offered Lucy his arm with a grin, and she scowled but accepted anyway. The pink haired man looked a bit shocked that she even took it, but soon a smile was pasted on his face. The two strolled into the dining room, and soon after they were served.

Zeref and Lucy sat on opposite sides of the long table, and Mavis sat next to Zeref. Natsu, unfortunately, sat right next to Lucy, and Lucy had to use all of her strength not to yell at him to go sit somewhere else. If she wanted to be liked, this was not how to do so. It was required of her to be kind to everyone at the table, including the annoying man who wouldn't keep his eyes off hers. Natsu was now smiling at her and quietly trying to tell her to show him her ninja outfit later. Lucy rolled her eyes carefully and then gazed down at the plate in front of her.

Succulent fish from a country Lucy had never heard of adorned her plate and fruits and vegetables that were brighter colors that she had seen in her life were on the side. She drank sparkling wine from across the sea, and the napkins were lined with golden thread. Lucy was truly eating well tonight, which was different from her usual meals of milk, ramen, and potatoes.

She dug into her meal with vigor, and she had to slow herself down as to make herself look like she was a royal—or at least not a complete commoner. They ate quietly, enjoying polite conversation.

When they finished, the plates were cleared and Lucy rubbed her stomach lightly. She hadn't eaten that much food in a while, and her stomach was slightly distended from digesting.

"Miss Heartfilia," Zeref addressed her, nodding his head towards her. Mavis waved from across the table, giggling, and Lucy wiggled her fingers back.

"Yes, your highness?" she responded, grinning.

"I know you may think that I brought you here today to thank you for your service to me and the kingdom. That is partially why I brought you here, but not the full reason. Let us enjoy dessert and I will tell you exactly why I have sent for you," Zeref looked her in the eyes with his dark ones.

Lucy felt a bit afraid of him, but she was not one to be intimidated by dark eyes and exteriors. She simply smiled back in response once more and said nothing. Zeref smiled back at the female ninja and then clapped twice in the air.

Plates of a Crème Brulee were served at once, and Lucy dipped her small spoon into it and tasted it.

'Delicious,' she thought, grinning, 'this sure beats the last batch of cookies I made.'

They ate their dessert, and when the after dinner mint was brought, Zeref continued his speech.

"You have proven yourself to being a highly skilled ninja. And you are a qualified assassin as well. My brother tells me that you took that kidnapper down in thirty seconds, and that is something worth noting. How did you learn to do that?"

"I was trained at my father's academy ever since I was young, and I graduated at the top of my class with honors. Does the name Jude Heartfilia sound familiar to you?" She asked. Now she had him cornered. All she had to do was sneak out of the palace after this conversation was over and kill the bastard.

"It does ring a bell, but I'm not sure from where. Please forgive me of my forgetfulness," Zeref said, leaning towards her.

"Of course, your highness. You must hear many names in a day," she told him, smirking so slightly that he couldn't see it from across the table.

"But that is not the issue here. The issue is that my brother does not have his own bodyguard. I have several, and they all go with me wherever I go. However, we have been unable to find one with a skillset as well rounded as yours," he complimented the blonde.

"Thank you, sir. I'm not sure exactly what you are implying, though. If you wouldn't mind elaborating…"

"Yes. Well, simply put, my brother needs a bodyguard. And with how fondly he talks of you and your, let's say, endeavors," Zeref smirked, and Mavis hit him on the arm, "I think you would be well fit for the job."

"Thank you sir, but I will have to decline. You see, I don't get along with your brother as much as one would think. He enjoys my company, but I certainly do not enjoy his," she said, turning to glare at the man that was staring at her once again.

"Ah, well, there is another part of this job you may be interested. You see, Miss Heartfilia, the kingdom also needs a spy to help with the protection of Magnolia. You will be required to attend several different events with my brother, and you will also be required to act as his lover. You will be paid handsomely with money—and also incentives that I think you will find quite interesting," Zeref said, his eyes glimmering.

'How the hell could I do that? I can't act as that idiot's lover! And I sure do not want to go to events with him!" she thought, inwardly scoffing,

'But if I don't do it, I won't ever have this chance again to get so close to Zeref. I'll be in the same vicinity as him all the time, and because he trusts me, no one will suspect me as the murderer. Plus, I will get to hear secrets about my father that only the man who murdered him would know. And then, I'll finally get to strike and finish off my father's killer.'

Lucy hesitated for a moment and then nodded her head at the king. "I accept the job," she told him, and Mavis smiled brightly in return.

"I look forward to getting to know you, Lucy!" the petite woman ran over to Lucy and Natsu's side of the table and hugged the taller woman while she was still sitting.

Lucy stood up and hugged Mavis, and the smell of violets wafted up into Lucy's nose. Mavis tipped her head up and grinned at Lucy, and Lucy smiled softly back. They broke away from the hug, and Lucy sat back down for Zeref to address her.

"Perfect. Your first assignment will be at the Crocus ball. There will be many contacts I will need you to meet with. We will discuss names over dinner tonight. Until then, Miss Heartfilia. Natsu, come with me," Zeref motioned to Natsu, and the pink haired man jumped up from his seat and followed his brother.

"We'll finish this later, Luce!" he yelled, waving and turning the hallway follow Zeref.

'Oh, yeah, we'll definitely finish this later,' Lucy thought to herself ruefully.


End file.
